Crossing Paths: Second Edition
by Isis the Sphinx
Summary: Wandering into a forest where you can physically feel the magic isn't the best idea. When you're cursed, that's a REALLY bad idea.Now thrown in Battle City and what have you got? This fic. Magic and Pokemon clash for the world! PKMNYGO YamixOC
1. Chapter 1

Yes, I'm nuts. I've absolutely lost it. It also seems I can't abide by my own rules. I've gone and started another fic! gah! Illusory Love is currently on hold in my head, I kinda got tired of writing it.

This is a rewrite for Khalia, who wrote this first but decided to get rid of it. I've improved it and all that good stuff. Enjoy, ok? Please.

Disclaimer: Yugioh and Pokemon aren't mine. Heck, even the plot isn't mine.

Crossing Paths: Second Edition

* * *

Gifts

"Thanks Nurse Joy for everything!" A girl with fuchsia colored hair in a long braid called, waving to the head nurse of the Pokemon Center on Mystic Mountain.

"It was nothing, Neko! Come back soon!" Nurse Joy called back. Neko waved again and turned to the path in front of her. She could go one of two ways, one way towards the next town, and the other way straight into the Mystic's Forest. The girl shrugged and turned to the Pokemon on her back, a fluffy-tailed Pikachu named Fox.

"What do you think, Fox? Which way should we go?"

The Pikachu with the oddly shaped tail (for a Pikachu; most Pikachu had a lightening shaped tail, this one's tail was fluffed out like a fox's.) stared at the fork in the road for a moment, before pointing towards the left, and the Forest.

"Ok, then, we'll go that way. Civilization can wait a few days for this trainer."

Neko Birch was a Pokemon trainer. But she was no ordinary trainer. She was a trainer with a curse. It happened a few days after she got Fox as her first Pokemon. She was walking through the Viridian Forest when a sudden rainstorm hit. Looking for shelter, she found a surprisingly well kept but abandoned cabin. Well, like every new trainer, she was curious and decided to look around her temporary lodgings. Neko had found a beautiful necklace in a box in the only bedroom. It had a red leather strap with a paw print charm of a Persian hanging off it. When she first laid eyes on it, she had to try it on. It just felt right, in some weird way. Though, as soon as she tried it on, the clasp disappeared and she hasn't been able to take it off since. Also, whenever Neko is in danger, she turns into a Persian. There was one time where she was chased by a flock of Spearow. They had cornered her, and Fox was exhausted. It was an amazing transformation.

Flashback----- 

_Neko was panting hard. She had run as fast as she could, and she still couldn't outrun the flock. With her back against a tree, she kept Fox protected with her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for pecks of about 20 pissed birds._

_Instead of the pain from an attacking Spearow, she felt an odd pins and needles sensation all over her body. Looking down, she saw tan fur sprout like grass everywhere. Next, she heard some cracks and pops of bones growing and reshaping. Surprisingly, this didn't hurt. Unable to stand, she fell to all fours. She acutely noticed her ears moving from the sides of her head to the top. A few more adjustments here and there, and finally at the end, was fully grown and powerful Persian where Neko had stood. This Persian had the same choker on that Neko had._

'_What the?' Neko thought. Soon, the Persian began to attack the Spearow, which completely surprised them. But it wasn't Neko attacking the birds, it was something else entirely._

'_What's going on?!?! I'm not doing this, so who is?'_

_Finally, the last Spearow had flown away. Neko finally had control of her body back. But, she hadn't turned back into a human just yet. _

'_Why aren't I a human again? Don't tell me I'm stuck like this, that this cursed necklace turns me into a Persian for the rest of my life!'_

'_Merow…'_

'_Huh?' Neko heard a meow, but not from around her surroundings, but from inside her mind. The girl turned cat closed her eyes, and she saw another Persian, facing what seemed to be her mental self. They stood in some sort of space, no visible walls or floor, yet there was something to stand on, which Neko was grateful for. _

_The Persian began to talk. "Hello."_

"_Umm…Hi? Just who are you?"_

"_I am…a guardian."_

"_What?"_

"_My mistress, a hundred years ago, was my trainer. I was to guard her whenever there was danger, and she would take care of me. We became closer than Pokemon and Trainer not long after we met. But she became sickly one day, and the other humans would not let me see her. I could not guard her against this. I knew she had died, but the other humans would not tell me so. I guess I believed that more than the facts. My spirit was locked into her favorite necklace, as she said it reminded her of me. I waited for the day when the other humans would let me see mistress again. You look so much like mistress. Let me guard you, please."_

_The Persian's plea hit home in Neko's heart. How could she say no?_

"_Yes, you may." Neko opened her arms to the large cat, "Come here." The Persian happily came, and it enjoyed the embrace and petting it received. "Question," Neko started, "When do I change back into a human?"_

"_You're already back in human form. You might want to put back on those silly things called clothes though."_

_The girl froze in fear and anticipated embarrassment._

"_Crap!"_

_End Flashback----- _

Ever since then, Neko had been able to use each ability the Persian had, and at extreme times, become a full Persian to protect herself. It was a useful ability.

The Trainer and Pokemon walked into the forest and quickly lost themselves. They weren't worried; they had done the same thing many times and had made it out relatively unharmed. The feeling that permeated this forest so thoroughly captivated both. There was something special just ready to burst out. It placed Neko in an anxious position, like a kid about to ride a roller coaster for the first time; excited and scared witless all at once.

They had been wandering for three or four hours-you lost track of time so easily here-when something rustled in the brush. Neko spun towards the movement and crouched, ready for whatever was there. A little more sound, and a blue head popped out.

Neko's eyes went wide, "A Dratini!" She grinned, knowing exactly wheat she wanted to do. "Fox, you up for a battle?"

The mouse Pokemon gave a confident yes, "Pika!"

"Alright then, Fox, let's go! Quick attack!"

The Dratini never knew what hit it. Neko threw the Pokeball and the dragon Pokemon gave little resistance. "Yahoo! I caught a Dratini!" Fox jumped for joy. The girl shrank the Pokeball and attached it to her belt. "C'mon Fox, wanna go see if there's anymore Pokemon out there for us?"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Fox seemed as excited as his trainer did.

Both wandered the forest some more, coming across lots of bug Pokemon, some different mouse types, and a few pissed off Beedril and Spearow. The sense of excitement and _special-ness_ Neko felt when they entered the forest only grew stronger with time. The forest grew thicker and thicker with plant life as they walked. The trees were especially thick towards the west, the direction that they were walking. The two struggled through a pair of closely placed trees and stumbled onto clear meadow.

This meadow had nothing special in its physical features, but the only two occupants of this meadow were what made it exceptional.

There were two Pokemon in the exact center of the meadow, and they were looking right at Neko and Fox.

Neko had no idea what these two Pokemon were. She pulled out her Pokedex and pointed it at the two.

The first she pointed at was a tall, light and dark purple Pokemon, and it had a long tail. It was vaguely human shaped, and it had three fingers.

**"Mewtwo. A psychic Pokemon. Little is known about this Pokemon. Trainers are warned to stay away from this Pokemon at all costs."**

Neko's blood froze at that comment. Her dad, professor Birch, had told that if she ever heard that comment from her 'dex, to get away from that Pokemon as fast as possible. The scared girl could already feel her curse's magic activating, in anticipation of danger. Slowly, in fear of what she might get, she pointed her 'dex towards the second Pokemon. This Pokemon was light green and yellow, with large blue eyes. It was also very small, and was flying around in small, tight circles.

"**Celebi. A light Pokemon. Legends say this Pokemon can travel through time. One ancient tale tells of it coming from another world. "**

Neko, in spite of her fear was curious why such an innocent Pokemon was with one so seemingly dangerous. No matter, she wasn't going to ignore the warning her Dad's Pokedex gave her. She turned to run away, Fox at her heels, when she found she couldn't move her legs.

"Come," A deep voice resonated within her head. Her curse guardian, the Persian, was pissed at the mental intrusion, but couldn't do anything about it. Neko was drawn by Mewtwo's psychic abilities towards him. "You…" He whispered again in her mind. He circled her, looking over every inch of her. Fox was behind her a few feet, growling at the forceful examination of his trainer. Mewtwo spared a glance at the brave Pikachu. "Do not worry, fellow Pokemon, I do not intend to harm your Trainer." Fox narrowed his brown eyes, but stopped growling. Mewtwo returned to Neko. "Your name is Neko, is it not? Celebi told me you would be coming today." The yellow bee-like Pokemon flew over to Neko and grinned at her. Celebi then giggled and flew a few tight circles like an acrobat in the air around her. "You have a gift, I can sense it. It is a powerful gift, which can make you so much stronger if trained right. However, this gift cannot be tapped here. It's not for here. Not for this world. Did you know the legend of Celebi is a long one? Most of it tells of Celebi's travels through time. But there's one story, at the very beginning at the legend. It's a very ancient story, which says that Celebi was not part of this world. These legends are true. Celebi is not from here. Your gift is not from here as well. To be realized, you need to leave this world. Celebi will take you there." The genetically altered Pokemon said all this while keeping Neko perfectly still, making her absorb all of this information. She struggled against the psychic Pokemon's powerful disable attack, but to no avail. Mewtwo could do whatever he wanted with her.

"I can hear Her voice. A voice of so much power, so much more than mine." He mused, facing Neko again. "One from hot sands and feats of great magic. She calls, 'Mewet biaw…' "Kitten mine…" She needs you, Neko. You must go." Mewtwo was uncharacteristically desperate, though Neko didn't know it.

The cat cursed trainer no longer felt so scared. Instead, she felt more compelled to help, and curious. Who was calling her?

"O-Ok, I'll go." She stuttered, summoning up her courage.

Mewtwo released Neko and stepped away. Fox, no longer held back by the threat of Mewtwo, bounded up to his master's shoulder. A glow around Celebi drew their attention. The soft, gold light grew to encompass Neko and Fox.

"Good luck, Neko Birch." Mewtwo said as all went black.

* * *

Love it, like it, hate it? Review please. Not all credit goes to me, though. Khalia gets some too! 


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two. I've had these ready and waiting for a while now. Hope you like it and don't think Neko's an OC.

Disclaimer: I no own any of this.

Crossing Paths: Second Edition

* * *

Chapter Two:

Culture Shock

Neko groaned as consciousness painfully came back. Obviously, it seemed that Mewtwo and Celebi didn't think much of comfort on the trip.

'_They just had to land me in the middle of who knows where, didn't they?'_ She thought as she picked herself up off the hard cement. The fucshia haired girl shook her head to get rid of the last of her disorientation, and took her first look at her new surroundings.

The sun was bright and exposed almost every detail around her. Grey walls stood imposingly five feet away from her on her left and right. Garbage bins and trash were scattered next to the walls, and this little bit of info told her this was a well-populated city. But it seemed she was missing one thing.

"Fox!"

Her Pikachu responded to her call. "Pika!"

Neko grinned as Fox bounded into her open arms. "Fox! I'm glad you made it. I'm gonna need every friend I can get, I can feel it."

"Pika, pi." Fox agreed and climbed up onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Now, let's see if we can figure out where we are." She stood up and chose a direction, going at random. From the looks of her surroundings and the sound, she was in a city. She walked to the end of the alley she was in and took a right. She continued to walk, as she looked for a way out. It was like a maze, with turns leading off each way. But Neko didn't turn off onto one of these other alleys. She stayed on the path she picked first. She could hear a motor up ahead, so she knew if she kept going, she'd get to a road or street soon.

Voices came into hearing range, and they weren't kind ones. The Pokemon trainer hid behind a large trashcan and peeked at the two people that the voices belonged to. One had long, platinum blonde hair, lavender eyes, and tanned skin. He- Neko figured the first was a he from his body shape and posture- wore a lavender hoody T-shirt and black cargo pants, and many gold armbands.

If the first was odd, the second was just plain _weird_. He had snow white hair that stood up in spikes everywhere, and amber eyes. His T-shirt had a horizontal blue and white stripe pattern, and what looked to be a _really_ tight pair of blue jeans. Both male teens looked as if they had done some nasty things in the past and had liked it.

Neko watched as the one with the snow-white hair spoke first, "So _you're_ the one with a Millennium Item…" Mr. I-Like-Jewelry-More-Than-I-Should glanced at the almost albino with a searing glare. "Now be a good boy and give it to me." The almost albino again.

"Who are _you_?"

"I'm the person who's going to _kill you_ if you get in the way of my plan!"

They glared at each other for another minute, a battle of the wills.

"So…tell me…what is it that you want?

"Your Millennium Item, of course. If you give it to me nice and quiet, I'll let you live…"

The platinum blonde smirked. "So you're _collecting_ them? But why?"

"Power, of course. In a hidden temple in Egypt is the Tablet of the Pharaoh's Memories. When the seven Millennium Items are placed in the Tablet…the Door of Darkness will open. And the one who opened it will gain the evil power, which was sealed in the void long ago.

"So who are you?" The blonde asked again.

Amber eyes narrowed, "Bakura."

"I have…a proposition for you. I will give you the Millennium Rod, in exchange for defeating and killing the Pharaoh in my stead."

"What? Can't do it yourself?" Bakura taunted.

The blonde glared, "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, yes, deal. I'll do your dirty work." Bakura rolled his eyes.

"Good, now what is your plan?"

"This…" Bakura pulled out a switchblade. He slit his arm.

The blood flowed freely, and Bakura laughed, not making a move to staunch it.

Neko had seen enough. She tried to back up, still crouched. It didn't work very well. She hadn't noticed the second trashcan right behind her. She bumped into it, and the can made a /very/ loud noise.

Both teens looked toward the sound. Neko didn't notice though, she was too busy trying not to be seen getting away. Next thing she knew, she was yanked back by her braid.

"Well, what do we have here? An eavesdropper? Tsk, tsk, little girls should know better than to listen in on their betters." Bakura teased, as he wrapped his hand around her braid.

"You, my better? Pluh-ease! Let me go! Ow!" Bakura pulled on her hair again.

Malik was curious. "Who are you?" He asked.

"No way am I telling you that! Now let me go!"

He shook his head. "You will tell me, one way or another." Malik concentrated on the power in his rod, and then on the girl.

In the landscape of her mind, Malik began to quickly take control. Out of the middle of nowhere, a huge cat came bounding up to him. It looked a bit like a lioness, but with a red jewel in the center of its forehead. It came straight up to Malik and hit him with one huge, sharp-clawed paw, which knocked him right out of Neko's mind.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, as he noticed three large scratch marks on his hand.

"What?" Bakura questioned, a bit confused.

"I can't control her."

"So," Bakura shrugged. "There are other ways we can use her." Both Bakura and Malik grinned, realizing the opportunities. Bakura released Neko's hair and punched her hard, right in the face.

"Gah! What was that for?" She yelled, holding her face.

"Simple, we need to use you, and we need you out like a light." Bakura sneered, and clenched his fist for another punch.

"I don't think so. Fox, Thundershock attack!" The Pokemon that had stayed unnoticed until now sprang from behind his trainer and unleashed a few hundred volts of electricity. He wanted his trainer to get away from these people, and not kill them.

Malik seemed shaken from the attack, but Bakura shook it off like it was nothing. "What are you, a rock type?! That should have stopped you in your tracks!"

"I'm not your average mortal," chuckled Bakura, as he came closer.

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that! Fox, again!"

"No." Neko noticed an oddly designed dream catcher appear around Bakura's neck, saw it glow, and Fox was thrown against the far wall.

"Fox! Are you ok?" Neko asked, rushing to her KO'd Pokemon. _'Was that a psychic attack? No way, only the Gym leader Sabrina could use attacks like that!'_ "Who- who are you?" She stuttered, backing against the wall with Fox cradled in her arms.

Bakura let out a laugh, a bone-chilling laugh, which made Neko all the more afraid.

"Me? I am a thief and a stealer of souls. And you, my dear, are my prize."

Bakura gave another laugh that echoed against the walls and kept Neko in place with fear. A flash of light came from Bakura's odd necklace and darkness rushed up to meet her.

* * *

I'm following the manga, just to let you guys know, except for a few changes. The beginning quotes were direct from the book. As I lose accessability to the manga, I'll use the anime more and more, as that's what I can get my hands on. Review please! 


	3. Chapter 3

And here's chapter three. the longest one so far. I really hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Pokemon. If I did I'd be able to meet people over on the other side of the Atlantic.

Crossing Paths: Second Edition

* * *

Chapter Three

Threat of Death's Drop

Neko awoke to soreness around her wrists and ankles. When she opened her eyes, she received a clear bird's eye view of the busiest street in Domino.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" It was obvious what she did. "I don't like heights, I don't like heights, oh God, GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!!"

Very faintly, through her screaming, Neko heard voices from the roof of the building, about a foot above the flagpole she was tied to. The occupants on the roof heard the screaming of the pissed girl.

"Oh, yes, Pharaoh, that reminds me. There's one other condition to this duel. You lose, and an innocent girl dies along with you."

"Malik, you bastard! Let her go, now!" Someone growled, Neko didn't know whom. However, the name of who put her on the flagpole was enough to send her into fury.

"So that's your name! Malik, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-! YOU BETTER FIND A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO HIDE!!!" She started to struggle against her bonds. A moment later, Neko heard the faint calls of "Let's Duel!" from above. She had no idea at all what that meant. Time passed, and the cat girl was able to get one hand to reach around and touch the ropes around her wrists. Her curse activated, and very sharp and long claws grew from her fingertips. The claws made quick work with the ropes. Now at least she had her hands free.

Unable to get to her feet, Neko canceled her curse and her claws disappeared. She looked up, and her jaw hit the ground 15 stories below. 'Is that a dragon?!' She thought, shocked. 'But that's no Pokemon! What the heck is going on up there?' Once again determined to free herself, and to find out what was going on, Neko resummoned her claws. She shimmied to the end of the pole, pushing along a burlap sack to the wall of the building. Scrunching up into as much of a ball as she could, she stretched her arm around, and touched her ankles. The ropes shredded into ribbons. Now Neko was completely free, but too weak to haul herself off the pole.

'Great, I'm free, but can't get to safety. Does the universe hate me?'

At that exact moment, the universe decided to tell her what it thought of her. This huge, blue titan rose from the surface of the roof. It shook the entire building and scared Neko more than Bakura did. A thunderous growl came from the titan, and it struck. What it hit Neko didn't know, but she felt sorry for the target.

Her muscles then decided to remind her how tired they were. A burning pain shot up her arms and legs.

'Oh God, I don't think I can hold on much longer. Please tell me they won. Please tell me someone will help soon.' Her palms became clammy and it seemed every second was an eternity. The pole was slippery and her fingertips were straining to keep their fragile grip.

"Help!" She thought her plea went unheard when the oddest head of hair peeked over the edge of the building. Blonde bangs shaped like lightening framed a sculpted face and a few other lightening streaks shot into onyx black spiked hair tipped with magenta. However, the one thing that got her was the eyes. They were the rarest color of crimson with a touch of amethyst. Another head leaned over after this one. He was a bit more normal, but still extraordinary. Hard sapphire partially hidden by chocolate brown bangs. The one with spiked hair reached down.

"Take my hand."

Neko bit her lip, and grabbed the proffered arm. He grunted, and pulled. His partner helped by grabbing Neko's other arm. Thirty seconds later, all three were panting slightly on the roof of the building.

"Thank you so much. If you hadn't come…" Neko shivered, then thought back to when she had cut her ankles free.

'When I pushed that burlap sack, did it wriggle?' Her eyes got wider than a chibi's, and she shot back over to the edge of the building and examined the bag that had been tied to the flagpole.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Yami called, following Neko. The other just watched, emotionless.

"There's a sack tied to the pole, my Pikachu's inside it!"

'Pikachu?'

Neko leaned over the edge, and unseen to the others on the roof, activated her curse and cut the rope that tied it to the pole. She brought the sack up and untied the knot. Out jumped the oddest creature anyone on that planet had ever seen.

It looked like a mouse, for starters. However, it was _yellow_. With black eyes, pink cheeks and tail fluffed out like a fox's.

"Fox!" Neko cried, hugging the 'Pikachu' to her.

"What's that?" Yami asked.

"This is a…" She trailed off as a thought occurred to her. "Oh God, I've forgotten my manners! I'm Neko, Neko Birch, and this is my Pikachu, Fox. I'm a Pokemon trainer."

"I'm Yugi Mutou." Yami said.

"Seto Kaiba." Both of their faces still had a "huh?" look to them. However, Kaiba's was a bit more hidden.

"You're looking at me weird. Why?" Neko inched back, more than a bit nervous.

"What's a Pokemon?" Yami asked.

"You don't know?" Yami shook his head. Neko shrugged. "A Pokemon is" At that exact moment, a helicopter with a raven-haired kid hanging out the door came up to the roof.

"Kaiba, I found Joey, liked you asked me to!" The kid called.

"Yugi, get in the chopper. We're going to where your answer awaits! And kid, you too. It's seems there's more for you to tell." With their faces set for the next adventure, and Fox seated on his master's shoulder, they entered the helicopter.

"Yugi," Kaiba smirked as they waited to arrive. "You know that Malik, the leader of the Ghouls, is just another enemy, like you."

Yami shook his head. "No, not like me. He has a terrible power. His Millennium Rod has magic that lets him brainwash people and make them do acts against their will."

"Magic?" Neko asked. She paid attention to the conversation. Yugi nodded grimly. The out-of-place trainer rubbed the charm on her necklace. "I guess magic is here as well," She said, quietly. Yami heard this, but decided to say nothing.

"We've arrived at the pier, Mr. Kaiba." The pilot said from the cockpit. Kaiba said nothing.

The helicopter landed in a fit of swirling breezes. Yami got off as soon as the door was unlocked. Kaiba was a bit more reserved. Neko stayed near the helicopter, to watch things unfold. She could tell that this wasn't her place.

In front of Neko's eyes, the story unfolded. It seemed that Yugi's best friend was under the control of Malik. He was using Joey to challenge Yugi to a life or death duel. In addition to keep Yugi from saying no or anyone else interfering, Yugi's other friend, Tea, had a pill filled with fast acting poison between her teeth. She was to swallow it and die if anyone tried to stop the duel, whatever a duel was.

Lastly, to make sure that Kaiba didn't interfere, and to generally piss him off, he had two of his "mind slaves" grab the raven-haired boy. In other words, they grabbed Kaiba's brother Mokuba and held him hostage with a knife at his throat. Neither the "mind slaves" nor Malik noticed Neko standing so far back. That was a small blessing in itself.

The "duel" began, and Neko was entranced. It was almost like a Pokemon battle. You and your opponent summoned monsters to do battle. Sure, there were a few variables, but it was the same!

Joey used cards like Hinotama to directly attack Yugi. Even though the battle system looked the same, the human elements in Pokemon battles are usually safe. In this, it seemed that the human player was vulnerable to attack. And Yugi was being pounded on harder and harder.

But when Yugi took off his Millennium Puzzle, something got through to Joey. Neko had no idea what. Nevertheless, something got through.

Time ticked down on what would send the loser to a watery death, when Joey overcame the brainwashing. Yugi was down to his last few hundred "Life Points" and he could barely stand. He had "Mystical Rift Panel" holding back "Meteor of Destruction" for the last few minutes before the bomb went off, and dropped the anchor. Yugi said something about Joey getting his heart back, then he commanded "Meteor of Destruction" to hit him.

Thirty seconds later, the bomb went off, and the anchor dropped, taking both Joey and Yugi with it.

Neko narrowed her eyes. No way was she going to stand around and do nothing while two people had the chance to drown, especially when one had saved her life! She snapped out of her stupor and grabbed a Pokeball off her belt. Running towards the pier, she threw the ball into the air.

"Golduck, c'mon out!" Everyone around Neko was shocked, who _was _this girl and what did she just release?! "Golduck, go after the blonde, I'll go after the other one. Cut his chains with slash attack if you have to, just get him to the surface!" Both took a leap at the edge of the wooden pier, and dived into the ocean.

Neko was a good swimmer, but Golduck was better. The blue duck Pokemon used his webbed hands and feet to propel himself down to Joey.

Golduck's trainer did not need to go as fast nor as far as he did, thankfully. Yugi had somehow gotten out of his cuff and was already drifting towards the surface. Neko glanced at Golduck, who had all but disappeared in the darkening gloom of the ocean, and swam back up to Yugi. She grabbed him and moved all the faster, determined to get him to air before he drowned.

Golduck got to Joey quickly. Since he had no key, Golduck just cut the chain with his slash attack. Although he was already helping Joey to the surface, Joey was more than past his maximum time limit for holding his breath. A massive stream of air bubbles exited from his mouth, and his body went fearfully limp.

Neko and Yugi reached the surface at about the same time that Joey's air bubbles did, and therefore did not see them. Everyone else did, though they didn't really know what they were.

"Yugi!" A blue eyed brunette called, running over and helping a barely conscience Yugi out of the ocean. Neko hauled herself out right after, and laid on the sun-warmed wood of the dock and just breathed. She enjoyed air and breathing, she really did, even if it didn't seem so when she pulled this sort of dramatic stunt. Then she realized something, Golduck hadn't come up yet! At that moment, Golduck and Joey hit the surface themselves. Joey was gasping for air like a starving man would vacuum up food. The blue duck Pokemon helped him to get to the dock, and then joined his soaked trainer. Neko gave a tried grin to her Pokemon. "Golduck, you did a great job. Thank you so much. You deserve a rest." She pulled out Golduck's Pokeball. "Golduck, return!" The water Pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light. The trainer relaxed, and turned to everyone else. Their eyes were bulging, and almost every jaw was on the ground. Except Kaiba, of course, he always kept his emotions in check. "What?!" Neko squeaked. "You're all acting like you've never seen a Pokemon before."

"That's what that was?" The female brown-haired person asked.

"Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh…"The out-of-place trainer held her vowels, not sure how to react. She looked around, hoping to find a kind face. She noticed some extra people by a violet convertible; just staring at the whole thing slack jawed. There was a young redhead there, and it looked as if she didn't care that some unknown person had summoned a real monster, even if it had saved someone from drowning.

"Big Brother!" She cried, and rushed to Joey.

"Serenity?" Joey breathed, still a bit dazed from the whole experience. He 'oofed' as Serenity practically glomped him in her concern.

"Big Brother, you're ok! I saw you go down and I was so scared!" She released him from her death grip and turned to Neko. "Thank you for saving Big Brother. She gave Neko a polite bow as the trainer waved it off. "It was nothing, anyone would have done it."

Serenity just smiled and went back to worrying over her brother like a mother hen.

When Neko looked away from the two siblings, her eyes met with unforgiving blue.

"What. Was. That?" Kaiba spat, holding Neko still with just one look.

"What was what?" She said nonchalantly, her attitude betraying how she really felt.

"What was that /thing/ you had go in after the mutt? It looked like a kappa (A/N: Kappa mythical Japanese sea monster)"

"It was a Golduck." He arched one delicate eyebrow. " A Golduck is a Pokemon." Kaiba's expression didn't change. "You really don't know?" Neko asked, incredulously, as most shook their heads, including the few people by the convertible. She took a deep breath and sighed. "The official definition of Pokemon is a mystical being with amazing powers, they are the animals of the planet. Does any of this ring a bell?" More no's from everyone. Fox here is a Pikachu, a species of Pokemon. Golduck is another example." Everyone's eyes were wide, including Kaiba's. He couldn't help it. It was like being shown that humans could fly. He quickly squashed his amazement, though.

"You're insane, just like the rest of these freaks. Believing in magic, spirits, and real mythical creatures. I'll leave you with the loony bin." Kaiba turned and began to walk away. "Yugi, I have the answer. I'll see you at the finals!"

Mokuba yelled, "Wait up, Seto!" He ran to catch up to his big brother and a moment later, they were gone.

The silence in Kaiba's wake was so thick you could cut it. Neko's hesitant question broke it, "So…what now?"

Yugi piped up, "The Battle City finals! You're welcome to come with us if you want, Neko."

"Really?" She asked, her voice high pitched. He nodded.

"Where is it, though?" Tea asked, voicing the question on a few people's minds.

In answer, a buxom blonde-haired woman spoke up, "I know. It's on the other side of town."

"The other side of town, we'll never make it by the deadline!"

"Not if we take my car. People might have to sit on laps, though, my baby ain't a van." Everyone piled into the convertible. Five minutes later, they discovered there was no room for Neko, even if people sat on laps.

"Sorry Neko, I guess you can't come." Yugi apologized, eyes downcast. Neko scoffed.

"Ok, so there's no room for me in the car. That doesn't mean I still can't come along!" She reached for a Pokeball and enlarged it from golf ball sized to baseball sized. "Rapidash, let's get ready to run!" A bright flash of light, and gasps were heard from those in the car.

A large horse, rivaling in height with a Clydesdale appeared. It had a flaming mane and tail, blue hooves and eyes, and a horn, like a unicorn.

"What _is_ that?" The blonde-haired woman asked, astonished.

"This is my way to the finals. Drive, and I'll follow." Mai opened her mouth to ask a question which Neko anticipated. "Don't worry, Rapidash here can easily keep up." Neko got on her horse as the car started up. Soon, they all left the nightmare of what happened at the docks behind them as the sun finally set.

* * *

Ok, this is the last update for today. I REALLY liked writing this one. So much fun torturing a character.

Anyways, review! Not all the credit is mine, some goes to Khalia!


	4. Chapter 4

Yayayayyyy! Here's chapter four!

I finallt finished it. Hope you all like it. And i know, i know, it's a bit like a filler, but it's still good!

Disclaimer: I no own. Heck, even the idea for this plot's not mine!

* * *

Chapter Four

Calm Before the Storm

The soft echo of footsteps rebounded around the arena as the large group arrived.

"Dis is it?" Joey wondered aloud. "Dis can't be it. Moneybags wouldn't do somethin' like dis."

"Yeah, you're right. It's unlike Kaiba to leave something like this unfinished." Yugi mused as he gazed at what was believed to be the site of the finals. The seats surrounding the group were dark, scaffolding was scattered around, and the smell of fresh paint was hinted at.

They looked toward the center of the arena and spotted Kaiba, who was smirking. "Roland," He said, nodding to one of his goons nearby.

"Yes Sir!" He turned to the newly arrived group.

The light flashed against his sunglasses, making him look a bit more polished. Neko wondered at the back of her head why he wore sunglasses at night. Just a bit of simple curiosity.

"Welcome duelists!" Roland spoke loudly so all could hear. "As you may have thought, this is not the site of the finals." He paused to give the group a moment to absorb this. "The true site of the finals will arrive shortly, so please be patient." Roland said nothing more, so the group began talking again, in anticipation of finding out where the next site would be.

Neko separated herself from the group in an attempt to get her bearings and to talk to Fox for a bit. She did not know that Yugi watched her leave the group.

"Sheesh, Fox, what a day it's been." She said as she sat down on the dusty ground. The Pikachu took this as a cue to get off his trainer's shoulder and stretch his legs a bit. "Pika…" The mouse sighed, as if showing its already tired disposition.

"Sorry buddy, but I have a feeling that this night is far from over."

"Can I sit with you?"

The question came as a surprise to Neko, and her head whipped around to see who spoke.

"Oh! Uh…Yeah, sure." Yugi copied Neko and sat next to her, legs crossed pretzel style.

"May I?" He asked, reaching a hand towards Fox.

"Sure," She shrugged. "But don't rub his cheeks, I don't want you getting shocked with a 1,000 volts of electricity." Yugi reached and scratched just behind Fox's ears, his soft spot. The Pikachu cooed in appreciation.

"You have a gift." Neko said, grinning. "He likes you."

"Thanks. All animals seem to be like this around me." Yugi mused. "I went to the zoo once, and by the time we were supposed to leave, the zookeepers didn't want me to go." They laughed, but were silent again soon enough.

Neko studied the person next to her. He seemed softer than before when she first met him. Then, back on the skyscraper, he was pricklier (no pun intended), and had a harder feeling to him, like a pineapple. Harsh spikes on the outside that was close to impossible to get a tight grip on. Now Yugi seemed so much softer and fuzzier. Like a peach.

A few moments passed and Tea called from the group. "Yugi, someone's coming!"

"Hey, maybe we'll have some action at last." Yugi said, standing up. Neko followed his lead and they both went back to the group, Fox back on Neko's shoulder.

The wind picked up, blowing the loose dust everywhere. Out of the gloom came one of the two people that Neko had hoped to never see again. Bakura.

"Bakura, what are you doing here?" Tea questioned. Both Tea and Joey seemed concerned. Neko was surprised at the fact that they knew this person at all.

"I'm in the tournament, see?" He said in the kindest voice that Neko never would have guessed he had. Everyone in the group looked toward his arm and saw the Duel Disk that sat there.

"But you should be in the hospital!"

"I'm fine. Here, if you don't believe me, look at my arm. I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore. Want to touch it?" He brought his injured and still bleeding arm up you Joey, who quickly backed away. Neko froze when Bakura's gaze reached her. She could feel the Persian in her curse beg to let it take over and rip this guy to pieces. She struggled to keep it at bay, fearing the repercussions if the transformation was seen. He glared at her for a few seconds, and then moved on to mingle with the now growing group.

The wind picked up again with the message of an incoming duelist. This time, it was the other person Neko had hoped to never see again. She didn't know his name, but was smart enough to guess that it was Marik. She froze again when he came right up to the group and started talking to Joey and Tea again.

She heard Joey's voice from her slight fear-induced deafness. "Yugi, this is Namu. Namu helped Bakura out when he really needed it." Yugi shrugged and said, "Any friend of my friend is a friend of mine. Thanks for helping Bakura." They shook hands.

"It was no problem," Namu shook his head. "I'm just a bit nervous now that I'm in the big leagues."

"Hey hey! The great Joey Wheeler can show you some tips!" Joey bragged about his skill, acting as if he was God's gift to duelists. Tea whapped him on the head and told him to save it for the field.

The commotion died down a bit but Neko was still petrified.

'_Oh man, it's the guy that wanted to kill the Pharaoh, whoever that is. He knows I heard his plan; he'll come after me too!'_

Her curse fought all the harder against the mental constraints she stuck it in, the Persian felt her fear and wanted to protect her.

The platinum blonde walked up to her, all pretenses of kindness gone. He stuck his face an inch away from hers and said, "Don't say a word." His voice was deadly low. "One peep from you and I slit your throat. Though I really don't want to do that, your body's such a pretty one." He backed off and smiled. "It was nice meeting you Neko, maybe we'll get another chance to talk during the finals." The Namu mask was back on, and he rejoined the group at large.

All the blood had drained from Neko's face the moment that Marik had walked up to her. Now her face was bone white and her eyes were the size of saucers. She didn't even notice the next duelist come in, who called himself Marik. He was tall, wore a dark cloak, and had tattoos all over one side of his face. Everyone in the group besides Neko had something to say at his arrival. Neko was still too shocked to register anything.

Her knees gave out on her and she sat down on the ground hard. Fox scrambled off her shoulder and tried to get Neko to come back down to Earth. He had no success. Neko was deep within her own mind repeating the same mantra over and over again; _'He's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill me.'_

Neither noticed the blimp that was the true site of the finals land behind them. Only when Fox saw that everyone was boarding that he went to get help.

"Pika, pi, pikachu! Pi, Pikachu, pika!" Nobody listened. That got Fox pissed. _Really pissed_. Everybody back home would've heard the calls of a distressed Pikachu, especially if it's trainer was mentally MIA! That was the last straw. Fox would get somebody's attention; he didn't care what he had to do!

"PIKACHU!!" He charged up his electric sacs and let loose with a bolt of electricity that would have scared a Geodude. The electricity went straight into the sky, but it did its job.

It got _everybody's_ attention.

The mouse Pokemon snorted slightly and went marching on all fours to the one person that it felt its trainer trusted the most.

Yugi kept his eyes on the thing that just let out enough electricity to power all the Duel Disks for the rest of the tournament as it came right up to him. It slapped him slightly on the ankle, and then pointed back into the arena. His eyes widened even more when he saw Neko spaced out on the ground.

"Oh no! Neko!" he called, rushing out towards her. Fox let himself have a short moment of self-satisfaction, and then dashed back to his trainer.

Yugi had no idea how to snap Neko out of her shock, however she got it.

//Aibou//

Yugi blinked, then responded. /Yeah? Do you have an idea/

//Let me try. //

/Ok. Good luck. /

The switch was subtle, but Joey and Tea noticed it immediately. Fox noticed it after a minute as well. Yugi smelled differently to him.

First, Yami tried getting to Neko verbally, by calling her name a few times. Then he snapped his fingers in front of her face a couple times, but that didn't work either. Then, by going on total gut instinct, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and his forehead on hers. The puzzle flashed and a temporary connection formed.

Confusion and fear whammed into him like a pile driver, making him suck in air through his teeth. He wanted to find out what the causes of these negative emotions were, but the link wasn't strong enough for that. It was just enough to get a few words to Neko mentally as a last ditch effort.

"Neko!" He called, "Wake up! You're ok!"

"No I'm not! He's gonna kill me! He's gonna kill me!" She yelled back, her voice echoing.

"Who's going to kill you?" He asked, but the only response he got was "He's gonna kill me!" After a moment, he knew there was only one way to get her to calm down.

His expression softened and he said, "No one will hurt you while I'm here."

The connection was then broken when he was pushed out by something decidedly feline.

He opened his eyes to find the Pikachu in his lap, and everyone else surrounding him and Neko.

"Hello," Yami said, blinking at the electric rodent.

"Pika." It said, blinking back.

Further conversation was cut off when Neko stirred. Her skin had regained its healthy color and her expression registered that Yami's face was right in front of hers.

She looked at him for a quick moment before her eyelids became too heavy for her and she fell sideways, asleep.

Yami caught her and cradled her head, his appearance softened as she relaxed.

"Whoa, is she going to be ok?" Mokuba asked, looking at the pair.

"Yes," Yami responded. "She's just resting. Today has been very hard for her." Rising, he held Neko bridal-style and boarded the airship. The others followed not long after.

* * *

Kaiba took charge as seven of the eight duelists were on board. 

"Yugi," Kaiba spoke, not looking at Yami. "Take the girl to the infirmary, it's the best we can do for her right now until we get all of you rooms. She'll get her own when she wakes up." Kaiba turned to a nearby goon. "Isono, show Mutou where the infirmary is."

"Yes sir!" Isono gestured down a hallway.

Fox watched the two leave with his trainer, thought about following them, and decided against it. He could always track their scent if he needed to.

Feeling a bit peckish, Fox decided it was time to get something to eat. That's when he saw the table with the piles of food on it. The human called Joey was already gorging himself on some of it, but he left one part untouched. The fruit and apples were Fox's favorite. Unfortunately, Fox couldn't reach the top of the table to get these apples. So, he'd get a human who could. He walked over to the human girl who was next to Joey. He didn't know her name; all he knew was that she kept calling Joey "Big Brother." Fox tugged on her sock a bit to get her attention.

"Huh?" Serenity looked down. "Oh, you're so cute!" She squealed a bit in delight and bent down to pet Fox. Even though Fox enjoyed this attention immensely, he _was_ getting very hungry.

"Pika!" He pointed to the top of the table around where the apples were.

"You're hungry?" Serenity asked, picking up Fox and giving him more attention. Fox nodded.

"Ok. You can get what you want just don't make a mess."

Pikachu grinned and went straight for the biggest, reddest apple in the pile. He nabbed it and turned back to Serenity, who picked him up again. Fox was quite content to let this human girl hold him while he ate.

* * *

The door to the infirmary opened with a _whoosh_. Yami walked in, spotted a bed, and placed Neko on it gently. The two doctors in there at the time noticed but did nothing. 

The Pharaoh noticed a couple of sheets at the end of the bed, and decided to drape them over her. Not having anywhere else to be at the time, as Kaiba hadn't announced the start of the finals, he grabbed a chair and sat on it backwards so he could use the back as an armrest.

Now having time to think, he observed Neko, and brainstormed what he knew about her in an attempt to figure out how she got so scared.

'_For one, Marik or one of his Ghouls caught her in the first place and tied her to the flag post. Then, she decides to come with, helps at the pier with her…Golduck, was it? After that, she gets here on a horse like animal with flames, and she doesn't get burned! She called it a Rapidash. _

_When we got to the arena, Neko was fine. It wasn't until Bakura got here that she froze. I remember looking back at her and she still seemed ok. The next two people to enter the arena were Namu and Marik. That's it! Marik did something to her to scare her. He threatened to kill her!'_ Yami's fury grew at the fact that Marik used someone totally innocent in this sick game of his. But there was nothing he could do about it now. He took a few deep breaths and continued to think.

'_I'm wondering how she got here in the first place. These…Pokemon she carries with her are not of this world. This whole time, she hasn't said a word about where she's from, nor has she said much about herself. Then again, none of us have. We haven't had the time. Maybe we'll get the chance to fix that later.'_

The announcement over the PA system broke this train of thought.

"_**Will all duelists please come to the mezzanine level for the start of the finals! All duelists!"**_

Yami took one last look at Neko and left the infirmary.

* * *

Well, that was chapter four. I know, filler-ish, but I have no sources to go except memory! 

I want to ask you guys a question. I have a few fanfics I want to put up next after Illusory Love, but I'm not sure which one to do first.

Here's a list.

Choice A: Title: Boom.

Rating: T might go up, I dunno. Depends.

Subject: Tamora Pierce Universes

Summary: Pierce universe xover. Some group from Scanra builds a ship and crosses the sea. A Christopher Columbus event happens, and they try to invade and conquer Summersea.

Along with the meeting of the two lands, is the meeting of the seperate pantheons. And the gods from the respectives sides _**don't like**_ the other side. Boom. You should be picturing a nuclear explosion right about now.

* * *

Choice B: Title: None as of yet 

Rating: T, just to be safe.

Subject: Xover(triple) Stargate SG-1, Harry Potter, and Yugioh

Summary:(in the making) Hmmm...set just before Battle City, to make it interesting. Post HPbook4, pre book5. And, just to throw a monkey wrench in the thing, season 4 of Stargate SG-1. I'm using the #4 in this a lot, aren't I? Anyways...A goa'uld(haven't decided who yet) hears about these relics from Egypt, and how powerful they are. Thinking it's some kind of advanced technology that Ra had but really didn't use, the System Lord begins to go after it. SGC notices Jaffa in Japan, and come investigating. Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore notice big magic spikes in Japan as well. Voldemort finds out as well, deciding to look for older and other types of magic, not wanting to be taken again by surprise from something he didn't know about. Now, just imagine, Death Eaters, Ghouls, rampant Jaffa, a tournament, magic flying ever which way, and technology to make both Kaiba's and Carter's jaws drop, and you have a recepie for chaos.

Ok, after reading this a few times, I just realized how the two extremes(Harry Potter on one end, and SG-1 on the other) contradict each other. But _**I DON'T CARE!**_ I'll write it anyways!!! Now, the question is how...

* * *

Choice C: Title: None as of yet. 

Rating: T

Subject: Spirited Away

Summary:(in the making) Chihiro, only 10 in movie, waited for 6 years for Haku, otherwise known as the Kohaku(sp?) River Spirit to come back for her. Every weekend that she could, she would camp out at the entrance to the tunnel. But for those long 6 years, no Haku. Finally, a couple weeks before her 17th birthday, on the anniversary of when she went through the tunnel herself, Chihiro decides that she wouldn't wait for him anymore. She would camp out for a whole week, but after that, never again. One the last day of that week, when Chihiro is packing up to go home, a weak and bloody Haku stumbles through the tunnel, and colapses at her feet. She brings Haku home, and nurses him back to health. The whole time he is unconscious and delusional. When he wakes up, he has little memory of what happened to him, has no idea of where he is, and little memory of Chihiro as well. On top of all of that, he's mute. This is the story of what happened to the Kohaku River Spirit, and what happened after he reunited with the love of his dreams.

* * *

Choice D: Title: None as of yet 

Rating: T, maybe something a bit higher, but not as extreme as Mature.

Subject:(xover) Babylon 5 and Doctor Who

Summary: 10th Doc/Rose. Anyway, Doc and Rose are traveling together(haven't seen enough Martha, and I don't like her enough yet) and they come back to Earth, a little after the Dalek invasion, say, a few years after Parting of the Ways. They're exploring, helping people here and there, and they come across this one person, a woman, by the name of Lyta Alexander. Now, you B5 peeps are going to be thinking, what the heck. Well, everything past the time that the Vorlon and Shadows go into the rift, Lyta goes with them. Explaination as of why in the fic.

Doc and Rose decide to give Lyta a few rides, as Lyta does a bit of exploring in the Doc's mind. And what an unwelcome meeting she gets in there. heh.

* * *

Choice E: 

Title: Ghosts on the Horizon

Rating: T

Subject: Doctor Who/Stargate SG-1 xover.

Summary: In Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, the Cybermen appeared everywhere. Including the Cheyanne Mountain complex. Everyone is freaking out trying to figure out what is going on, when they all get sucked away. At the end, Carter hears news of a Blue Box...

* * *

That's it everybody. Place these plots in order of how you'd like to see them and I'll see what I can do! 

P.S. I've got others if anyone wants to see them.


	5. Chapter 5

And you all probably hate me. It's been months since I've last updated, and it's been months since I said I'd update. I'm sorry!!!!!! Don't kill me?

Here is the next chapter.

It's been two years since I first signed on to fanfiction! Everyone celebrate by not killing me!

Disclaimer: I no own. But I do own some Duel monster and Pokemon cards!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Five

Cat's Out of the Bag

* * *

Alone in the infirmary, Neko heard a voice.

"_Mewet biaw… Kitten mine…At last, you've come to me."_

In the foggy landscape of her mind, the Persian at her side, Neko looked for the source of the voice. _"Oh child, you can't see me."_ It said, fondly. The voice seemed more feminine than anything, and its tone was one of amusement towards Neko. _"You will find companionship here Neko, where before you could not. That is something you've earned long ago."_ The female voice paused for so long Neko though it would never come back. _"Here is one more gift, one to save you embarrassment in the coming trials."_

That got Neko's attention. "Trials, what trials?

"_Protect the Pharaoh, my child. He has the hardest ordeal ahead out of all on Earth." _

"Pharaoh?"

"_You will know soon enough, my own. Protect him with everything you have, and maybe this world will survive."_

"Protect him from what?" Asked the trainer. There was no response. "Where are you?!" Her voice echoed, and soon her sight began to fade. She was waking up.

* * *

Neko shot up, immediately awake from her dream. The sheet pooled into her lap, as she noticed no one was around. She already had her feet swung over the side of the bed when Tristan came in the door with Bakura on his back, followed by Yugi, Tea, Joey, Duke, and Serenity.

She stayed silent and watched as Tristan placed Bakura on another bed and a doctor appeared out of the middle of nowhere.

Neko's nervous question brought everyone's attention to the fact that she was awake. "What the heck happened to him?"

"You're awake? How are you feeling?" Tea asked.

She answered flatly. "I'm fine. What happened to him?"

"He was attacked by a god card. Bakura took the brunt of the blow, but still… The fact that he's been used this whole time and really has no idea of what's going on has finally come to a climax."

Neko blinked. That made no sense. What so ever. "Eh?"

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Tea asked. Neko shook her head.

"Oh boy." Yugi sighed. "Ok, well, there are seven magical items from Egypt, called the Millennium Items…." Yugi went on to tell the story, and Neko met each and every sentence with reluctant disbelief.

"No way. Then again, I guess it makes sense. I mean, I just came from another world, so this is just another drop in the weirdness of the universe bucket." She blinked, did Yugi say pharaoh? She mentally shook her head. If it were really that important, it'd come up again. "Where's Fox?"

They blinked.

"Y'know, yellow mouse running around, really fluffy tail, could electrocute you if it wanted to." Neko shaped the air in front of her with her hands into the general shape of her individual Pikachu.

"Oh!" Serenity remembered. "That cute little thing? He's on the mezzanine deck. Still eating, last I saw him. He's got a massive addiction to apples."

"That'd be him all right." She swung her legs over the bed, steadied herself, and left the room.

The group waited, counting the seconds.

"Uh…guys, where's the mezzanine level?"

* * *

The group went their separate ways to wait out the intermission between duels. Joey went to ask -demand- that Kaiba land the airship so that Bakura could be taken to a hospital. Duke and Tristan went to the duel arena to search for the Millennium Ring, which disappeared at the end of the duel. Tea and Serenity were still with Bakura, and Yugi went to his room go over his deck again, and to just think. Neko went with him as she still had some questions.

"Why'd you decide to let me come with you?" Neko asked. The question was rather random, and combined with the fact that it was silent in the room, it surprised Yugi.

"Eh?"

"You heard me. Why'd you let me come?" For a moment, there was no answer, Yugi was thinking.

"I guess…because…I really don't know. Besides the fact that you helped us without even knowing that much and that you don't have any place to go. I could've said thanks and left you there, and yet I didn't." With that, Yugi smiled and went back to his deck. Neko shrugged and sat in the chair opposite Yugi, also studying his cards. A long moment passed and it seemed that Yugi was not paying any attention to his cards and had completely zoned out.

"Yugi…." Neko waved her hand in his face. "Yugi!" She started to snap.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry,"

"How do you play?

"Wha?"

"How do you play?"

"Well, basically, it's a game of numbers. The monster cards have two numbers, an attack and a defense. As long as a monster has a higher number, it has the possibility of winning. Of course, there are many things that can change that, along with different effects that can change the whole play of the game."

"Wow. Complicated."

"Not really, once you get used to it."

"I'll take your word for it."

There was another moment of silence while they looked at the cards. "This one looks like Jigglypuff." Neko commented, pointing at the Kuriboh. Yugi raised his eyebrows.

"A Jigglypuff is a pink, round fluffy ball of attitude. They can sing, and their songs put you to sleep. I've heard a tale of one Jigglypuff going around and singing to audiences, and then getting mad when they all fall asleep."

"That's interesting." Yugi commented.

"It is. But I'm not too surprised by it. Pokemon are just as smart as humans. They probably have the same kind of dreams we do."

"What are Pokemon used for?"

Neko smiled. This was her territory in a world of unfamiliarity. "Anything, really. Trainers, like me capture Pokemon and battle them against opponents. Some are thought of as simple beings, while others are best friends to humans. Others are used in the police force, entertainment, human resources, the arts, and so many other things."

"So Pokemon were a part of the everyday lifestyle."

"Yeah, even more so with my family."

"Why?"

"Oh, Dad was a Pokemon professor. They dedicate their lives to studying Pokemon and finding everything they can about them. He's the reason I'm a trainer in the first place…" She stared off into space for a moment, realization rearing its ugly head. "Oh God! He thinks I'm heading towards the Cinnibar Islands! He has no idea what's happened to me, he'll worry about me, things will go into frenzy…and I can't get home!" She stared at the floor, frustrated at her situation and missing her Dad even more. Yugi remained quiet, as he had no way to help Neko.

The mood was somber when the wall rippled like water and a man wearing a white turban and something similar to a loose white drape came through. Yugi looked up, saw the man's reflection in the window and whipped around.

"Shadi!"

"You've learned much since we last met. Your strength in spirit has grown, and you've come to terms with your 'other self'. That it is not another side of your personality, but another soul all together. And you have also begun to learn the fate of this soul. I am here to give a message to the Pharaoh, the soul that which you are the vessel. You cannot let Marik win the god cards. The world would be plunged in darkness if it happened."

Yugi nodded, all determination. "It won't happen."

Shadi's gaze shifted to Neko, who glared back. "Bastet's guardian is here as well. The world has hope. You must hold strong, for you are the knight at Pharaoh's side." Shadi turned to leave. "I wish you both well in the times to come." The wall rippled again and he was gone.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm gonna wish I was never born?" Neko asked, sighing.

"He tends to do that to people." Answered Yugi.

"_**All duelists please report to the main concourse for the next match of the Battle City finals!"**_ The intercom announced, interrupting, the twos thoughts.

* * *

"The bingo machine will select the two duelists for the next round of the Battle City finals!" Mokuba announced to the group crowed around the chooser.

It was a slightly tense moment as the balls bounced around and around. Yugi did not have to worry about dueling Marik this round, but everyone else was fair game.

"And we have…" One ball came out. "Duelist number 2, Joey Wheeler!" Another ball came out. "Against him plays duelist number 7, Marik Ishtar!"

"Yeah! Now I finally get ta stick it ta da bad guy! You are so goin' down Marik!" Joey's rant went on and on. Marik just glared back intently.

On the dueling platform, the two duelists set up for their duel. Joey was fired up, shuffling his deck a little too much, and Marik was set. Below, Yugi was nervous. He knows that Marik has the Millennium Rod, and is probably planning on using it to win.

The duel began.

Neko, again, was shocked at the reality of the game. The monsters looked so real. They even seemed to breathe! Now that she had some understanding of the basic rules, watching a duel made sense. She mentally smirked as she started to create her own strategy in her head.

The duel progressed, and it was going downhill for Joey. His prediction of the duel ending with his win in eleven turns was sorely mistaken. He had had the lead for about the first three turns, and then Marik turned the tables on him. Violently. To give Joey that last little bit of courage, Yugi changed. Neko knew something had happened. The differences between Yugi and Yugi with these changes sent shivers down her spine. She glanced at him, and decided that it wasn't Yugi at all.

Back in the duel, Marik's trap-monsters were near impossible to kill, until Joey tribute summoned Jinzo to the field. His effect made the three Embodiments of Apophis go poof. A few attacks later, and Marik's Life Points are at 400, while Joey's are at 200. Marik says Joey still can't win.

The duel again turns for the worse. Marik summons the Mystical Beast of Selket. The scorpion-like monster eats Joey's high level monsters. As it eats it becomes more powerful. Everyone is grossed out at this revelation.

Joey now has no more monsters. But he knows he's going to win. Neko, among others, was confused. They could tell from the look in Joey's eyes that he knew he'd win, but they didn't know how. Neko had seen this look in other Pokemon trainers. Fire that raged, in the humans and the Pokemon. Determination to stand, even after opponent had thrown everything they had.

Oddly, Marik didn't attack with Selket directly. No, he did something completely unexpected, and something that shot fear directly into everyone's spine.

He summoned Ra.

The card that he had placed in the Temple at the beginning of the duel, he brought out. It shined with a gold nimbus, barely outlining its power. He sacrificed Selket as a tribute, as it had eaten three monsters.

There was a short bit of silence before the golden dragon appeared in the clouds. He was so big only his head could be seen. He roared, shaking everyone to their core.

Marik ordered him to attack.

It didn't work. Rage permeated the playing field, but it wasn't coming from either of the duelists. It was Ra. He was furious that a forgery of his physical representation was played. Ra's attack backfired, shooting lightning down at the duelists. Marik was hit on the head first.

Namu, behind Yugi and Neko, started to clench his head in absolute pain.

Joey was next. He dropped to the ground like a rock. The group rushed to help him but was held back by Roland, "If you help him, he will be automatically disqualified. They both have five minutes to get up. After five minutes, whoever is still unconscious will lose the duel." The five minutes began to rush by for the group. Joey wasn't moving. Neko was torn between cheering for Joey, and keeping an eye on Namu, who was squeezing his head. Marik begins to get up, but falls again. Just before time runs out, Joey is up on his feet. Namu is almost screaming in pain. Joey rushes to Marik, and helps him up. Marik woke slightly and whispered, "You fought well, Mr. Wheeler. I am sorry to have deceived you, but I am not Marik. My name is Odion, and I only fought to protect Master Marik. His darkness is coming, and I can no longer keep it at bay." At these last words, Odion fainted, and Namu, now the real Marik, screamed.

Neko jumped back, extremely threatened. Her breath quicked and her heart pounded. She could feel the Persian inside her stir, and she knew she couldn't hold it back this time. She wouldn't.

Marik's face contorted, veins popping out, and his eyes becaome huge and disfigured. He laughed, a cackle coming from deep in the stomach. "Finally, I am free. Odion held me back, but no longer! That shadow was useless, a worm.

Compared to me, the Marik you knew was harmless, a trickster, nothing more. But me, I love the Darkness, very much." He grinned, licking his lips, as if in anticipation. "You, my dear," He whispered, smirking at Neko, "Are my first conquest."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. All this time, Neko had been slowly backing up in fear. But now the Persian took over with a vengeance, bloodlust in its eyes.

It roared, showing canines an inch long that could easily rip skin from bone. She leaped, fully intending to kill Marik right then and there, but was pushed away with the power from the real Millennium Rod. She turned, growled, but did not leap again.

"So, you do have some bite in you after all. I'll get you later." With that, Marik sauntered from the platform and left.

Sensing no more threats anywhere nearby, the Persian decided it was safe enough to let Neko return.

The transformation went more slowly than before, the magic reluctantly coming out. Soon though, there was Neko, completely clothed and crouched in front of ten unnerved and wary people. (Later Neko would realize that this was the gift that was given to her in the dream) Neko, scared out of her wits, was wondering why Persian let go of the magic here.

'_They're gonna hate me, just like everyone else. Why must I be the one cursed with this?'_

A few minutes passed, and Yugi, now Yami, (but Neko didn't know that) walked up to Neko. She winced, expecting some kind of blow. None came.

Yugi had a kind look on his face and said, "No one will hurt you while I'm here." He reached down and held out a hand for Neko. She hesitantly took it.

* * *

Review! Flames used to power up Charizard to toast you. 


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